Lester Gaba's Cynthia

Loved the latest 99% Invisible podcast!

Mannequin Pixie Dream Girl, tells the story of "Cynthia", a mannequin created in 1932 by Lester Gaba, a sculptor, retail display designer and later a teacher and writer.

An unusually natural and human looking mannequin, Gaba used the attention Cynthia garnered to further anthropomorphize her.

Among her memorable moments, Cynthia:

• Appeared on a cover of Life Magazine in 1937
• Was invited to the wedding of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in 1937
• Went to see the play ‘Madame Bovary’ in New York in 1939

It's all a little bizarre and worth both a listen and Google search for pictures of Gaba and Cynthia.

Mannequin Pixie Dream Girl - 99% Invisible

Important notes

As someone who values notetaking, I confess, I love this...

Obama White House Photographer Compares Trump’s Sharpie Notes To Obama’s Notes 

"Former White House photographer Pete Souza mocked President Trump over his now-viral handwritten notes about the impeachment inquiry, highlighting the contrast between Trump’s notes with a picture of past notes by former President Obama..." [continue reading on theguardiansofdemocracy].

Source: https://theguardiansofdemocracy.com/obama-white-house-photographer-compares-trumps-handwritten-notes-to-obamas-notes/

So, you think you want to be a bartender?

Well, I've often thought about it.

My most recent research took me to this great resource:

Bartending School: Should You Sign Up?

There are three sub articles that are worth a read.

I've been playing with the idea for about 10 years, ever since returning from Europe, I suppose as a portable way to supplement my income. Now I find myself pondering it again, and I figure it can't hurt to take the course. Nimble Bar here in Victoria has. 4 weekend couse coming up in April... maybe I'll just do it!

. .

Simply brilliant: Be My Eyes

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

That's really all I could say when I learned about the Be My Eyes app and community.

Imagine being sight impaired and not being able to tell if your socks match, or what intersection you are standing at, or what gate your flight will depart from.

Now imagine the magic that transpires when with a tap a volunteer connects using a video interface that acts like eyes, saying, "that shirt is green", "the corner of Main Street and Johnson Road", or "flight 247 to Boston is on time will depart from gate G27 at 10:25".

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

FYI, I learned about this brilliant app while listening to episode 200 of CBC's Podcast Playlist.

Listen to the podcast

Resources:
Be My Eyes Blog
Be My Eyes Podcast
Be My Eyes on Twitter

If you want the full lowdown, here's the full description from the Be My Eyes website:

Be My Eyes is a global community that connects people who are blind or have low vision with sighted volunteers or company representatives. On the app, volunteers assist blind and low-vision users through a live video connection and work together to tackle challenges and handle a wide range of tasks. With the Specialized Help feature, blind and low-vision users can connect with company representatives for accessibile customer support. The app harnesses the power of generosity, technology and human connection to help blind and low-vision people lead more independent lives. Be My Eyes is accessible in more than 150 countries worldwide and in over 180 languages. The app is free and available for both iOS and Android.